Evita Jimenez, executive director of think tank Center for People Empowerment in Governance, falsely claimed Bicol is the country’s poorest region during the launch of a government anti-poverty book she co-wrote.

She also said second class municipality Caramoan Island, a popular destination in the region, remains a third class municipality despite tourism developments.

STATEMENT

On Jan. 11, during the launch of the book “Reforming Philippine Anti-Poverty Policy” by the National Anti-Poverty Commission, Jimenez described Bicol first as “one of the poorest,” and then as “poorest among regions:”

(Guided by the code of principles of the International Fact-Checking Network at Poynter, VERA Files tracks the false claims, flip-flops, misleading statements of public officials and figures, and debunks them with factual evidence. Find out more about this initiative.)